


You look so different

by Junejuly15



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Post Reichenbach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-25
Updated: 2012-03-25
Packaged: 2017-11-02 12:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/368928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junejuly15/pseuds/Junejuly15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock and John - an intimate moment after Sherlock's return. Short one-shot</p>
            </blockquote>





	You look so different

'You look so different,' John said. What he really meant was _I don't know you anymore_.

Sherlock's hair was much shorter, the curls all gone. It was still full, but with short sides and back, exposing his ears. It had a lighter shade, light auburn as opposed to the near black it had been before.The lustrous shine had gone; it looked almost dull as if he hadn't taken much care of it lately. The cut was professional, though, so obviously he hadn't sunk as low as having to cut it himself. It made him look boyish, innocent and vulnerable.

John leaned on his right elbow looking down on Sherlock. They were lying on John's bed.

His skin had lost its pallor, in fact it had the hue of somebody being exposed to the sun for most of the year. Not the ugly sunbed-type-tan, but a healthy golden glow. John leaned down a bit and peered closer at him. He saw freckles - tiny, tiny freckles on the bridge of his nose. And there was a scar – a small scar underneath his left cheekbone, pointing from his ear towards his mouth – about two or maybe even three centimetres long, giving him a rakish air.

John traced the scar with his left index finger. Sherlock hadn't shaved and John rasped above the three-day stubble on his cheeks, enjoying the sensation of it. He moved his thumb to and fro on his cheek and then ran it across to his mouth, resting on his cupid's bow. He pressed his thumb softly on his lower lip making his lips part. He recognized the softness, the tender touch evoking memories. A shiver ran down his spine. His heart clenched and he had to close his eyes for a moment to choke back a sob. He leaned down to Sherlock's face and placed a chaste kiss on the scar.

Up close he saw the fine lines around his eyes. He felt regret and sadness that he hadn't been present at their birth, hadn't been part of the experiences burying them into this smooth skin. The lines around his mouth and the furrow above his nose had become more pronounced, too.

So far he had tried to avoid looking directly into Sherlock's eyes, had feared their scrutiny. And what was more important - He didn't want to look and find their spark gone, their mocking gleam and their piercing stare lost. He slowly roamed across his face, centimetre for centimetre. He took in the scar, the lines, the freckles and then he was ready to settle on Sherlock's eyes.

He gasped – Those eyes! _Nothing_ was lost, _nothing_ had changed. Whatever they had seen, it hadn't affected them. They were as pale blue, piercing, intelligent, scrutinizing and disconcerting as ever. They looked right through him – right down into his soul, his heart. And he knew that he could never hide anything from those eyes.

He blinked and a single tear fell on Sherlock's face. Sherlock reached up and grabbed his face with both hands pulling him even closer. He kissed the tears that were streaming from John's eyes, kissed them away – one by one – from his eyes, his cheeks, his lips.

'Don't cry, John. I'm here,' Sherlock whispered.

'You look so different,' John said again and what he really meant was _I will get used to it_.

**Author's Note:**

> I really felt like writing some tender stuff - I hope you liked it!
> 
> Comments would be lovely ;-)


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